Casualty star Amanda Mealing has spoken about the long journey her character Connie Beauchamp has ahead of her, as her daughter Grace prepares to come up from hospital this weekend.

Grace has spent the last few months in a coma after she was seriously injured when the helicopter - rescuing her from a car crash - collided into the hospital.

Although Connie was relieved when Grace recently started to wake up, the reality of the situation will start to hit the talented medic in Saturday's episode as she is forced to accept that the youngster may never be the same again.

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"This is the beginning of a new journey for Connie, and for her relationship with Grace," Amanda said toInside Soap.

"Connie is full of doubt - there is a lot of trepidation, and her judgement goes out of the window. She is worried about the extensive care Grace is going to require and whether she will be able to meet those needs.

"Grace is semi-paralysed - her right side is not functioning properly. She has very little speech. It's something that will get better with time, but it'll need a lot of therapy.

"For now, Grace will depend on Connie for everything. And at least while Grace is in hospital, she's got the best care on hand if anything goes wrong."

But could Connie's situation with Grace make her re-evaluate her future in the ED?

"My husband's family are all medical professionals and they've always said that to do the job day in day out, you have to be able to detach and look at the patients as puzzles to solve," Amanda explained.

"But they forget all their training when it comes to a loved one - the emotional side of it comes to the fore. So I think it would be the same situation for Connie. As brilliant as she is with anyone else, this is her daughter so there is a real reluctance there."